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So am I as the rich, whose blessed key,
Can bring him to his sweet up-locked treasure,
The which he will not every hour survey,
For blunting the fine point of seldom pleasure.
Therefore are feasts so solemn and so rare,
Since, seldom coming in that long year set,
Like stones of worth they thinly placed are,
Or captain jewels in the carcanet.
So is the time that keeps you as my chest,
Or as the wardrobe which the robe doth hide,
To make some special instant special-blest,
By new unfolding his imprison'd pride.
Blessed are you whose worthiness gives scope,
Being had, to triumph; being lacked, to hope.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in Sonnets, no. 52 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Richard Simpson (1820 - 1876), "Sonnet LII", 1864-5 [ high voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Marianne von Schrutka ; composed by Mathilde von Kralik.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (François-Victor Hugo) , no title, appears in Sonnets de Shakespeare, no. 52, first published 1857
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , no title, copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2010-08-12
Line count: 14
Word count: 109
Io sono pari al ricco, cui una chiave dà accesso,
- sia benedetta - al suo ben protetto tesoro,
che tuttavia decide di non contemplare spesso,
per non smussare il culmine di un piacere più raro.
Per questo sono rare anche le feste celebrate,
in modo solenne lungo il corso dell’anno,
come pietre preziose, assai ben distanziate,
o pochi gioielli che in un monile stanno.
Così il tempo che ti cela è come un baule,
o armadio che conserva una pregiata veste,
e rende ancora più speciale quell’istante speciale
in cui torna a mostrare le sue bellezze nascoste.
Felice tu che consenti, per il tuo valore,
a chi ti ha di gioire, a chi non ti ha di sperare.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- Translation from English to Italian (Italiano) copyright © by Ferdinando Albeggiani, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
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Based on:
- a text in English by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in Sonnets, no. 52
This text was added to the website: 2024-10-10
Line count: 14
Word count: 117